False Prophecy
by Kenshiro Mitsui -san
Summary: It returns! A MatrixEva fusion; Shinji is ripped from his world and the title of Messiah is forced upon him... but will he accept it? PROLOGUE, NEW CH2 UPDATED
1. Prologue Memories

Welcome to **False Prophecy**, an Evangelion/Matrix fusion by Kenshiro Mitsui.  "Oh no, another Eva/Matrix fic," is most likely the response of the jaded FFN audience... but in actuality, this fiction has been around for quite some time (about 4-5 months ago, actually); I've just never bothered to update it.  Well, now it is, and I strive to make something fresh out of an idea that's "just a crossover."

If you are a past reader, I apologize for the long delay in updating.  I will also ask you to read the beginning of this prologue, at the very least.  It's different from the past version of it.  Enjoy.

K.M.-san, 11.13.2003

~~~~~~

_There are two doors. The door to your right leads to the source, and the salvation of __Zion__. The door to the left leads, to the end of your species._

_Why are you making me choose?_

_Strange.  Compared to the other four, it seems that you have not accepted the fate of The One, though you seem to be the most capable out of all the other versions.  In fact, I can see that the reality of your situation is only beginning to dawn on you._

_What the hell is this?!  I never chose to be in this position!_

_There is no such thing as fate.  Even the Oracle should have clarified this fact for you.  Ultimately, it is your choices that led you to this one pivotal moment in the survival of your species.  Specifically, it was when you chose to protect her._

_Asuka?_

_Hmph.  A human emotion, which, despite my observations, is something I care not to explore further.  Irrelevant, but a powerful emotion nonetheless.  I can see it now; the chemical precursors that signal the onset of two different conflicting emotions.  I can see that your young mind cannot fathom what has been laid out for you, so I will simplify it further in terms you might possibly understand.  Choose the left door, and the human race along with your "love" will cease to exist.  Choose the right, and you, your "love," and your kind will survive._

_..._

_Rationality and love now share the same consequence.  Certainly, this will help to ease your choice.  All human logic states that this must be a right choice._

_..._

_I will be back.  And I'll settle this too._

_Absolutely, there will be another One back._

Shinji opened the door on the right, and felt the rush of memories rushing through his mind, as if his life was flashing through his eyes.  It almost brought him to his knees, but he trudged through the doorway, and the door shut close behind him...

~~~~~~

**Approximately 1 Month Before**

Rei was trapped in an unfortunate incident.  She was cornered in a busy local train station by six or so policemen in a train station cleared of pedestrians.

_Not good_, she thought to herself, a small grin sitting on her lips. She grabbed the nearest policeman in a chokehold with her left hand, and flipped the body into the air.  Still holding onto his neck, she used the momentum of the body to snap it with a satisfying crack.  The remaining policemen were awed and terrified at the sight of this deft move.  Taking full advantage of this distraction, Rei crouched down, pulled a knife that was holstered on her left boot, and jumped in the air, executing a high flying side kick.  Rei was able to connect on another attacker's face, and using the momentum from the blow dealt to him, she spun in mid-air, and was able to kick another policeman in the side of the head with a spinning roundhouse.  Two more bodies fell to the ground, making a sickening sound as they struck the cold concrete.

From the corner of her eye, Rei saw a fist heading towards her.  Crouching into a position taken from a _Tai Chi Qu'an _stance to avoid it, she moved her torso forward, and with her knife in her left hand, she stabbed the would-be assailant in the chest, and simultaneously, using her other palm, dealt him a strike so hard, he went flying through a glass telephone booth.

Rei narrowed her eyes as she saw the phone booth scatter into fragments of metal and glass, and turning around, she threw her knife at the helmeted head of another policeman, killing him on the spot.  That left one guard standing... but he just stood there, his face contorting awkwardly.  She looked on as the last guard's body started convulsing, his skin bubbling and shimmering under his uniform.

_You will not be going anywhere_, she thought, as she pulled a pistol from her holster, and quickly terminated the final policeman with several slugs in the chest.  The body fell to the ground, and his skin returned to its normal state.  He was dead.

Holstering her gun, Rei cleaned the dust off from her white PVC outfit with her hands, and took a small cell phone from her jacket pocket.

"I was ambushed," she said softly into the phone.

"You have no exit where you are anymore," the man on the other end replied.  "The nearest exit is on Sakura and University.  Get moving; Agents will be there soon."

"How many?"

"At least three.  Now go."

"I understand, Commander."

Rei knew that one Agent would be more than a handful.  Three of them were certain suicide.  She ran out that train station as fast as she could...

The next thing that she saw made her think of an old saying - - "Out of the oven, and into the fire."  She ran into a busy street.  Every person she saw on that street was a potential enemy.  The sight of it sent shivers down her spine, and Rei dashed her way through the crowd as quick as possible, hoping not to draw the Agents' attention.

Soon, the bullets started flying.  Her enemies were everywhere, but nowhere.  An Agent suddenly materialized in front of Rei, surprising her, but she was ready.  Performing a high jump and leg split, she soared over the man in black, and in the process, implanting several bullets in the back of his neck with her pistol.  The Agent fell in a heap, and the figure morphed back into what used to be an old lady carrying groceries.

Rei knew she would not be able to keep up fighting them like this.  It seemed like there was one of them everywhere she turned.  She had to get to the exit.  Turning right at a corner, she found her way out; a phone booth riddled with graffiti.  Reaching for the receiver, she noticed a red BMW speeding towards her direction...

The Beemer struck the phone booth with such velocity, that nothing was left but shards of metal and glass.  Another man dressed in black stepped out of the door, and walked over to the wreckage to examine his work.  Three other Agents followed him.

"She escaped," one of them said emotionlessly.  He bent down, and picked up a piece of metal.  A small stream of blood covered it.  "You almost got her."

"It does not matter," the other said.  "Their futile search for The One is of little meaning to us.  All we have to do is find their next target before we do."

"We have the next target.  We caught her looking for a certain boy in the area."

"Then find him and deal with him properly."

~~~~~~

Rei squirmed painfully in her chair as she held on to her bleeding left arm.

"Rei!"  A man, wearing a slightly tattered long sleeve shirt, and sporting tinted eyeglasses and a thin beard, ran to the chair where Rei was seated.  "Stay still," he told her, as he reached from behind the chair, and pulled a long needle, connected to a thick wire, out of the back of Rei's neck.

Rei was breathing in sharply as she grimaced from the pain.  "I... I couldn't reach him..." she muttered through her tightly clenched teeth.

The man responded with a faint smile, as he held on to Rei's hand.  "We'll try again next time..."

~~~~~~

_11-41 Studios _

_A Kenshiro Mitsui -san story_

**False Prophecy**

_A hybrid alternate universe fan fiction_

**_Prologue_**_ : Memories_

~~~~~~

"Shinji... Shinji.  Shinji!  SHINJI, WAKE UP!!!"

Shinji Ikari woke up with someone painfully tugging his left ear, accompanied by an equally painful-sounding voice.

"Jeez, Asuka, why do you have to wake me up like this?" he whined.

"Is that any way to talk to your girlfriend, Shinji?" she asked with a toothy grin on her face.

"Girlfriend?  When did that happen...?" Shinji mumbled angrily.

Asuka Langley Soryu replied by punching Shinji in his left arm so hard, it made her knuckles ring.  "Can't a girl help their guy out by making sure he isn't late for school?!?  If you're gonna be like that, then I don't know why I bother to do this for you!"  With that last comment, she stormed out of Shinji's room.

_I did it again_, Shinji thought to himself.  "Asuka, wait!" he shouted out; but it was too late.  She had already slammed the door to his apartment shut, leaving Shinji to tend to his bruised arm.

It was the same scenario he would relive every few weeks.  He says something wrong.  She gets mad.  He apologizes profusely.  Everything is happy once again... or about as happy as the "couple" could get.  _I am so whipped, Shinji thought.  He got up out of bed and walked to the shower._

No time for breakfast, Shinji dashed out of the door as soon as he got some fresh clothes on.  _ I hope I don't miss the 7:57 train, he thought to himself as he ran towards the train station._

The time was 8:03.  But that was not the problem. The station was closed for repairs.  Apparently, a grisly gunfight took place there involving the authorities and some wanted terrorists currently residing somewhere in the city, according to the TV news reporter at "the scene of the crime."  A notice on a lamppost caught Shinji's attention.  It was a "wanted" poster, and on it was a color picture of a young girl, with short, grayish-blue hair.

"Wow," Shinji said to himself.  "She can't be any older than me..."

Shinji's thoughts were interrupted by the frantic screaming that could only belong to Asuka.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, 'THE STATION IS CLOSED?!?!?'" she yelled at the poor foreman in charge of repairs.  "Don't you know that there are kids like me who need to get to school?  You can't keep me from getting an education!"

Asuka was about to hold a fist up to the foreman's face, but someone behind her restrained her wrist.

"Asuka, come on.  That's enough," Shinji pleaded, hints of anger and embarrassment in his voice.

Asuka was first surprised at Shinji's boldness; then she was humbled for a brief moment before returning to her previous state of anger.

"_Aaarrggh_!  Shinji, you're useless!" Asuka growled as she slapped Shinji's hand away.  She then took his other hand and led Shinji away from the station.  "Come on, Shinji, these guys are dorks."

The walk to school consisted mostly of an awkward silence between the two students.  Finally, Asuka spoke up.

"So, why did you hold me back from beating that guy up to a pulp?" she asked, a hint of anger emanating from her voice.

_Because you look out for me, and I care for you_, was what Shinji wanted to say.  However, even though they were "dating," these words still did not come out as easily as Shinji thought they would.  Instead - -

"W-well, you wouldn't w-want to be late for school, right?" he said nervously.  "You'd do the same for me, s-so I guess I'd do it for you too..."  His words faded off gradually.

Asuka blushed deep red at Shinji's words, but quickly shook it off.  A faint smile fell upon her lips.

"Yeah, I guess, Shinji," she said with a sigh.  "Come on, we're already late."

Sometime during the rest of the way to school, Asuka's hand unknowingly found Shinji's, and they walked into the school grounds in this manner.

~~~~~~

_"Dammit, dammit, dammit!  I should have known better than to take anything that guy offered!"_

_Shinji continued in this manner as he ran all the way to the boys' restroom.  From a distance, one could hear a pair of boys his age exploding in laughter._

_"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAcoughcough - -  Whoo, man, did you see the look on his face?!?"_

_"KYAAAHAHAHAHA!  Man, he's gonna hate you for this!  I think I heard his stomach do a 360 when he bit into those things!  What the hell did you put in there?" the first boy asked.  He was wearing a wrinkled school shirt, and sported large round glasses and freckles._

_The other prankster, a slightly taller boy wearing a dark running suit, proudly held up a pink bottle of laxative.  "I kind of feel sorry for that new kid," he said, as he wiped a tear away from his eye.  "Sure was funny, though."_

_This was not the way Shinji wanted to spend his first day in school.  Things were rough on him during those past few months, ever since the disappearance of his father and the death of his mother five years after that happened.  With no other family to look after him, Shinji had to live alone in a small apartment he found in the city, and was living off a considerable sum of money left behind by his father - - enough for him to live on until after high school, when he could find a job.  Shinji did not mind the loneliness at all; he was perfectly content with living alone, doing nothing but walking around the city and practicing his cello everyday.  It was when he received a letter three weeks later from the district that he had to attend middle school that made his life a little worse than it used to be._

_He continued to make a bee line towards the restroom door when suddenly - -_

_SMACK_

_Shinji ran into a girl who was just exiting a doorway, knocking her to the ground.  He didn't get a very good look at her, as he continued his way to the restroom._

_"I'm really sorry!"  Shinji cried out to the girl as he entered the restroom hastily.  The red-headed girl, picking herself off the floor, turned her head sideways in confusion.  Slowly, her facial expression changed from perplexity to irritation..._

_~~~~~~_

_Shinji had never felt more relieved in his whole life.  After washing his hands, he exited the restroom, only to find a vaguely familiar face..._

_"So, what was up with that, kid?" the red-headed girl said with crossed arms and a raised eyebrow._

_It was now Shinji's turn to be confused.  "Umm... excuse me?"_

_The girl got closer to Shinji's face.  "If I remember correctly, you _ran over_ me..."_

_"Ohhh... well, I apologized," Shinji replied with uneasiness.  "...so, I guess I'll be on my way now," he said, trying to slink out of the stranger's way._

_Suddenly, the girl grabbed violently at Shinji's shirt collar.  _

_"Not so fast, diarrhea boy!" she said with a frown.  The girl pointed to a small bruise on her right elbow.  "You gave this to me."_

_Shinji started breaking a light sweat.  "W-w-well, I did apologize, so if I could just - -"_

_Shinji tried to creep away from the aggressive schoolgirl again, only to be pulled back by his collar a second time._

_"_You're_ gonna have to show me around the school," she said, still holding on to Shinji's collar.  "Call it retribution for the physical and emotional damage you've done to me.  I am__ a new student here, after all."_

_Shinji tried to take the girl's hand from his shirt.  "Well, s-so am I, so I don't really know - -"_

_She immediately let go, pushing Shinji towards the wall.  "That's great!" she said with some enthusiasm.  "We can help each other get acquainted to this new school!"_

_Shinji groaned in pain softly, as he saw the girl's hand extend towards him.  "My name is Asuka Langley Soryu.  Pleased to meet you."_

_Shinji reluctantly reached out for Asuka's hand with his.  "Umm, nice to meet y - - Aack!"_

_The moment Shinji's hand touched Asuka's, she yanked him away from the wall, and proceeded to drag him around by the arm._

_"Great!  Now, we have a lot of school ground to cover before lunch time ends, so we better get moving."_

_"Bu-but-but-but - -"_

_"No complaining!  This is as good for you as it is for me, kid.  By the way, what is your name?  I don't wanna have to be calling you 'kid' from here on."_

_"My name's Shinji Ik - -"_

_"Great, Shinji, that's a nice name. Ooh, ooh, I didn't know this school had a swimming pool!  Let's head over there, Shinji!"_

_"groan..."_

~~~~~~

"Hey Shinji.  Shinji.  Wake up!"

Shinji slowly blinked his eyes open; the first things he saw were the sky, the clouds, and a pair of faces, stupidly smiling.

"Why do you guys have to wake me up every time during lunch?" Shinji groaned, as he picked himself up from the schoolyard grass.

"And why are you always sleeping?" Kensuke Aida retorted, pushing his glasses up to his face as he did so.

Shinji thought about this comment briefly as he rubbed his eyes slowly.

"I... I don't know," he answered, shaking his head as if to clear his mind.  "But a lot of people ask me that..."

Toji stepped forward with a lecherous grin on his face.  "What's wrong?  Does Asuka keep you up too long every night?"

"S-shut up!" Shinji blurted, his face beet red.  "I told you already, we're not like that!"

Toji crossed his arms.  "Ok, then _how_ are you two like then- - OWWW!!"

"You wanna repeat your little comment, you pervert?!?" Asuka hissed as she cruelly twisted Toji's ear.

"_Hey!_ Where the hell did you come from?" exclaimed Kensuke, which was answered by an angry hmph from Asuka.

"Shinji, let's go," Asuka ordered.  "We've got clean-up duty today."

As Shinji was dragged away by the red-head, he looked behind him to see Toji and Kensuke, waving goodbye with strange smiles on their faces.

~~~~~~

Shinji sat down in front of his computer, and turned on his cable modem to connect to the internet.  He was never a big fan of the internet and online chats, but it was a good place to download music for his SDAT player.  Ever since he bought himself a computer for school, he's filled more than half of his hard drive with music files.  Sometimes, he would prep a good deal of downloads on his computer and just fall asleep while all the songs finished downloading (which Asuka did not like at all), which was exactly what he was doing a half an hour later.

As he propped his head on his desk to fall asleep, his screen went blank, and a blurry, pixelated image of a girl appeared on the screen.  She seemed to mouth something, which looked like:

_Wake up, Shinji._

This got Shinji's attention.  "What is this?" Shinji asked himself, as he tried to type a few commands on his keyboard, but to no avail.

"It's that girl..."

Before he could try to do anything else, the image of the girl faded to black, except for - -

_Her eyes... they're red..._

Perplexed, Shinji used both of his hands to rub his own eyes, and when he looked at the screen once again, he saw that the strange image had disappeared, and he was staring at his downloading program.

Shinji shook his head several times, and reached for the power switch on his computer.

"That's it.  I gotta stop staying up late like this..." He went to bed, not giving a second thought to what he had just seen.

~~~~~~

The next morning, Shinji dismissed the strange things that happened to his computer the night before.  Asuka and Shinji walked to the now-opened train station, where they could see a few "Do Not Cross" police lines closing off several chalk outlines on the ground.

"Man, what the hell happened here?" Asuka mumbled as she slowly looked around the station.

As the two waited for their train to come in, Shinji noticed a familiar poster on the wall.  It was the color picture of one of the terrorists.  

_She looks so young_, Shinji commented once again.  _And her eyes, they look so pretty..._

Shinji walked closer to the wall, and rubbed his eyes as he stared harder at the girl's picture.  He stood there, almost in shock and disbelief.

_Her eyes are... are red..._

"Hey idiot!" Asuka called from behind.  "Our train is here!"

Shinji shook off his trance and turned around to catch up to Asuka, who was already boarding the train.

It was a seven minute trip to school via the metro, and Shinji and Asuka stood next to each other in the crowded car.  Shinji spent three of those minutes thinking about the mysterious, red-eyed girl, and the cryptic message someone gave him the night before, until - -

"Aack!"  The train car shook briefly, and Shinji's body accidentally pressed firmly against Asuka's figure.

"S-sorry," Shinji apologized, as he struggled to get a little distance between his chest and Asuka's.  He looked at the floor as he did this, blushing profusely, and awaiting the almost certain barrage of angry comments that Asuka was famous for giving.

It did not come.  Puzzled, Shinji looked up, only to see Asuka's face beet-red, and turned in another direction.  "Just don't let that happen again," was the terse reply that came from her.

Both teenagers continued to look in different direction, their faces flush with a deeper red of crimson than before.

The train stopped at the station nearest to the school, and Shinji and Asuka stepped off the train car at the same time.  Outside, a pair of men dressed in black suits, with matching sunglasses to go along with the ensemble, stood outside the exit, waiting for them.  Shinji and Asuka stopped right in front of them.

"Shinji Ikari," one of them said, "We need to have a word with you.  You'll have to come with us."

Frightened, Shinji replied.  "W-who exactly is 'we?'"

"That does not concern you," the other stranger said.  He grabbed Shinji's arm, and yanked him away with surprising force.  "We will be the ones to ask the questions."

Asuka took a step forward, her fists clenched tightly at her sides.  "Hey!  What the hell do you think you're doing to him?!?"

Before Asuka could do anything else, one of the men briefly revealed something shiny inside his suit coat.  It was a mean-looking gun, and it looked capable of taking someone's head off with one shot.  Asuka gasped, and stumbled backward.

"Do not interfere," he said through clenched teeth.  "And don't call the police.  We promise to bring your boyfriend back in one piece."

Asuka desperately looked at Shinji for some kind of reassurance that he would be okay.  "Shinji?"

Shinji nodded once, and Asuka slowly returned the gesture.  "I'll be okay, Asuka," he said quietly.  "I'll be back soon..."

And with those words, Shinji and the two men disappeared into the rush hour crowd, leaving a very scared and confused Asuka alone.

~~~~~~

Shinji sat in a green-tinted interrogation room, waiting for whatever it was those men would do to him.  The sound of a door opening behind Shinji startled him, almost making him jump out of his seat.  The same two men who accompanied him to the tall skyscraper downtown entered the room, and sat down on chairs across the table from Shinji.

One of the men carried a small manila folder with him.  Opening the folder flat on the table, he revealed a few slips of paper.

The stranger spoke up.  "Mr. Ikari... I understand that you've been having a little computer trouble."

"I-I-I don't know what you're talking about..."  Shinji stammered, denying anything he knew.

The man with the folder leaned on the wooden table with his elbows, and took off his sunglasses, revealing a pair of menacing eyes.  He spoke calmly, and slowly.  "Understand, Mr. Ikari, that I am not here to harm you.  The person who we suspect tried to contact you is part of a terrorist organization based inside the city."  He pulled a photo from the folder, and handed it to Shinji.  It was the same picture Shinji saw in the train station. 

 "We do not know what her true intentions are, but we are certain that she is up to no good... and we would like your help.  If this _dangerous criminal tries to contact you again, we'd like for you to give us a call."  The man handed Shinji a card with a phone number on it._

Shinji's slightly trembling hand reached for the card.  "I-if it's all the same with you," he said reluctantly, "I'd like to stay out of this..."  Shinji gulped, and continued, his voice a tad bolder. 

 "W-what does a terrorist want with me anyways?  It has nothing to do with me."

There was an unnerving silence in the room, which did nothing for Shinji's already-frayed nerves.  Finally, the men stood up, and the one with the folder gathered his things.

"You disappoint me, Mr. Ikari..." the man said ominously.  He went to the door and opened it.  "Very well, Mr. Ikari.  As promised, we will take you back to your school."  He walked over to Shinji, and stopped very close to his face.  "But keep in mind that we _will_ be keeping an eye on you.  Your very life could be in danger."

~~~~~~

"Were you able to place a body lock on him?"

"Yes.  We should be able to monitor his movements."

"When the rebels make a move, we will be sure to catch them and contain the boy as well."

"Indeed.  We will not let The One surface anytime soon."

~~~~~~

The time was 11:52 AM, almost time for lunch.  Asuka shifted uncomfortably in her seat as the teacher went over the story of Socrates.

Not for the first time, and certainly not the last, she looked over at Shinji's empty desk on her right, and sighed.

Asuka's thoughts were startled by a window popping up on her laptop screen.  It was a message from her friend, Hikari.

**Hikari:  Worried about Shinji?**

Asuka stared at the screen, shaken by the fact that her good friend was spying on her.  She typed a message back:

**Asuka:  Of course not!**

- - to which Hikari replied with an emoticon:

**Hikari:  :- /  Are you sure?**

Asuka thought for a second about her response.

**Asuka:  ...maybe a little bit...**

The conversation ended with the ringing of the recess bell, and the students closed their notebooks and headed for the door.  Asuka and Hikari were the last to leave the classroom.  The class rep approached her friend, and put a caring hand on her shoulder.

"It's ok to be a little worried, Asuka, because you care for him.  Right?"

A look of concern washed over Asuka's face.  She sighed again.  "Yeah, you're right, as usual, Hikari," Asuka said with a submissive tone, which quickly changed into irritation.  "But when that idiot Shinji comes back, he's _really gonna get it for making me worry so much!"_

Hikari just smiled at Asuka.  "Come on, let's go eat," she said as they walked to the cafeteria.

~~~~~~

The black limousine stopped in front of the school, and Shinji stepped out of the car door.  When Shinji was a few steps away from the limo, the door closed abruptly, and the vehicle sped away.  It was undoubtedly one of the stranger things that have happened to Shinji; he even wondered for a moment whether that interrogation really happened or not.  Seeing the other kids lounging about the school yard, Shinji deducted that it must be lunchtime, and fixing the backpack on his shoulders, he decided to head for the cafeteria, where he knew Asuka would be.

That did not happen.  Instead, as Shinji neared the entrance to the cafeteria, Asuka came bounding out of the door, running towards Shinji.

"Asuka!"  Shinji exclaimed.  "Asuka, I'm really sorry - - _mmph!"_

Asuka never said a word, nor did she let Shinji finish his sentence.  Taking Shinji in an embrace, she kissed him full on he lips, which lasted for several seconds amid the whistling and catcalls of their classmates.  Shinji stood there, in a mix of shock, submissiveness, and contentment.

And as suddenly as the kiss took place, Asuka's facial expression changed from elation to anger, and she swiftly slapped a briefly inebriated Shinji on his left cheek.  The audience around the two cringed in a collective "Ooooh!" as the sound of the slap rang through the school yard.

"What the hell were you thinking?!?" she screamed.  "Don't you _ever make me that worried ever again, you selfish idiot!"_

Shinji, now just plain confused, stood there, nursing the red mark on his cheek with his fingers.  He looked over to Hikari, who was now standing next to him, and gave her a puzzled look.  Hikari returned the same look and shrug her shoulders.

"Sorry, Shinji" was all she said, as they both watched Asuka stomp away from the yard and enter the school.

~~~~~~

Shinji went home by himself at the end of the day.  Apparently, Asuka was nowhere to be seen.  With the train station closed yet again (due to repairs), Shinji had to walk home.  As Shinji turned at a corner, he noticed a female figure across the street from him, dressed in a white, form-fitting outfit.  As she turned around to face Shinji, she revealed a pair of mysterious red eyes, contrasting with her grayish-blue hair.

_It's her_, Shinji thought.  He blinked once to reaffirm what he was seeing, and she disappeared.  Shinji blinked several more times, almost sure of himself that he was hallucinating.  _Am I seeing things?  Who is that girl?_

After vigorously rubbing his eyes, Shinji noticed something - - a door.  At the same spot that he saw the girl, there was an open door.  His curiosity leading the way, Shinji ran across the street, and cautiously entered the doorway.

It was dusty and the light was dim inside, but Shinji was able to navigate his way through the building, which appeared to be a decrepit antiques store.  Filthy old chairs, cupboards, lamps, and other such furniture littered almost every square inch of the place.  But something more unusual than the building caught his attention.  It was an old mirror, shimmering like a surface of water.

"What is that?"  Shinji inched closer towards the mirror.  It was like looking at an image he would see if he looked at himself at a placid body of water.  Extending his finger, Shinji was about to touch the mirror, when a voice called out to him, startling him.

"Ikari."

Shinji saw her standing on the other side of the room, as if she was waiting for him.  As the girl walked towards Shinji, he almost took a step back, but instead realized that he would not be harmed.  There was something mysterious and entrancing about her...

The girl stopped six inches in front of Shinji's face, startling him a little.  She spoke in a soft, soothing voice.

"It is finally good to meet you face to face, Shinji Ikari," she said, her face almost devoid of emotion.

"W-who are you?"  Shinji asked nervously.  He became even more nervous when she held a gloved hand up to his cheek gently.

"I am here to give you a message, Ikari," she replied, stroking the side of his face with her fingertips.  "You have been chosen; in your hands, lies the key to our future."

"Chosen?  What are you talking about?" Shinji said, as the girl started taking steps away from him.

"Do you really want to know?" she inquired.  Shinji stood there silently.  He nodded his head once.

She turned around to walk away from him.  "Then meet me here again two nights from now.  I suggest that you gather your will for the upcoming events you will experience."

Shinji stood where he was for a second, contemplating what she said; abruptly, he blurted out a question for her.

"Wait!  Can't you at least tell me your name?!?"

The girl stopped at her tracks, and turned around to utter one word - -

"Rei."

- - before continuing on her way out of the building, leaving Shinji to his thoughts inside the musty room.

_Rei..._

That name, along with the message Rei had given him, echoed through Shinji's head all night as he walked back to his apartment building under the moon and the stars.

~~~~~~

**End of Prologue**

~~~~~~

"Were you able to meet him, Rei?"

"Yes, sir."

"Did you have a run-in with an Agent?"

"No, sir.  The signal disrupting device created by Dr. Akagi worked perfectly."

"Good, Rei.  Go get some rest now."

"Yes, sir."

As Rei walked away from the control room, the man sat back down behind his desk, and placed his elbows on it, his hands clasped in front of his face.

_Soon, Shinji... you will be back to me..._

~~~~~~

Legalese:  Story © 11-41 Studios.  The Matrix is the property of the Wachowski Brothers and Warner Brothers Studios.  Evangelion is the property of Gainax, ADV, and Manga Entertainment.

This story is a work of fiction by a fan (thus the name "fan fiction"), and in no way is the author or 11-41 Studios making any profit from this story.  So don't sue, unless you want my property, which consists of $20, a "half off the cover charge" coupon for the local strip club, and a copy of the "X" movie, which really sucks.


	2. 01 The Beginning of All Things to End

I got a moderately good response from the prologue, and I didn't want to disappoint the people who read and enjoyed it, so here it is: chapter 1.  Thank you for reading and enjoy.  Oh, and I also recommend reading through the prologue again.  There's some new stuff I added, that's very important to the story.

- -K.M. -san  
Quick note:  There is a scene here loosely based on a certain part in Andrew Huang's "The Heart, The Soul" fan fiction series.  In this matter, I give him credit in inspiring me with this one scene.  I would like to say right now, that I enjoy his fan fiction, and that studying his writing style, along with other authors, also helped me to find my own style as well.  If he's reading, I'd like to thank him.

~~~~~~

"Have you found him yet?"

"No, sir, the body lock we've placed seems to be ineffective."

"...Ineffective?"

"Yes sir.  It was working fine a few hours ago, but his signal seems to have disappeared."

"...Useless.  Very well then, I want full surveillance near his home and the surrounding areas and we_ will_ quell this... _insurgency_ as quick as possible."

~~~~~~

_11-41 Studios _

_Kenshiro__ Mitsui -san_

**False Prophecy**

_A hybrid alternate universe fan fiction_

**_Chapter 01 :_**_ The Beginning of All Things to End_

~~~~~~

Shinji looked up at the silvery, crescent-shaped moon with curiosity, as he walked home in the night.

_That's strange_, Shinji thought to himself.  _The sun was just beginning to set when I went inside that building, and I'm pretty sure I was only in there for about ten minutes...  Shinji didn't carry a watch, but he saw the electronic clock near the entrance to the now-closed train station.  The time was 10:58 PM._

_What the - -?!?_  Shinji stopped in his tracks as he rubbed his eyes, and continued to stare at the clock.  _What's going on here?  How did it get to be so late?_  He continued to gawk at the clock for a few moments, until - -  
"I forgot about Asuka!"  Shinji gasped out loud.  "We were supposed to check out that new burger place!"  Asuka had grown tired of the usual meals of rice and some kind of fish that Shinji usually cooks, and she wanted something more "American."

"Jeez, she's gonna have my head on a platter!" he said, as he dashed towards his apartment building.

~~~~~~

"Hey Shinji, you're home kind of late, aren't you?" the night guard near the elevator asked him.

"Mr. Toru!  Oh, well... I was out... umm... There was a school play. Yeah."  A sweat drop rolled down the side of Shinji's forehead.

Mr. Toru raised an eyebrow.  "Really?  But where's Asuka?"

"W-w-why do you ask?" Shinji managed to stammer.

Mr. Toru smiled.  "Well, it's just that you two are always together.  There is hardly a moment when I don't see you two walk together to and from school."

Shinji did his best to conceal his blushing.  "W-well, Asuka wasn't feeling well today, so she went home early," he said as the elevator door opened and he stepped inside it.

"Yeah?  Well, I hope she gets better.  Have a nice night, Shinji."

"You too, Mr. Toru," Shinji said, as the elevator door closed.

~~~~~~

_'...You two are always together...'_

That one thought seemed to echo throughout the small elevator, as he thought about it many times.

_He's right...  We've been like this, ever since we first met..._

~~~~~~

The vibration and sound of the elevator stopping startled Shinji as if he was just woken up, and the elevator doors in front of him opened, revealing the entrance to his apartment.  However, Shinji wasn't headed there just yet.  
_I hope Asuka isn't too mad at me..._

Shinji turned at a corner, and walked a small distance down the hallway to get to his door.

"Asuka?" Shinji said softly, as he lightly knocked on her door.  After a moment of waiting, he dug into his pants pocket to search for his keys as he walked back to his own apartment.

_She must be sleeping already... Man, I'm really gonna get it tomorrow..._

Shinji stepped inside, and walked to his room.  He turned on the lights to reveal - -  
"Asuka?"

Indeed, Asuka was in there, silently dozing on Shinji's bed.  She was wearing a blue silk blouse, with a short black skirt to match it.  There was a hint of jasmine in the air surrounding her.

_You were wearing perfume_, Shinji thought to himself as he stared at the striking form lying down on his bed.    
_Was this... supposed to be a date?_

Shinji quietly cursed himself after coming across this realization.  He turned around to turn off the bedroom light, but stopped before he could reach the switch.  Shinji couldn't help but take one last look at this beautiful girl.  Shinji watched Asuka carefully, studying every breath that she took, taking in all of her radiance.

_She looks so much better when she's asleep_, Shinji thought as he slowly walked towards Asuka.  He was now crouching down at her bedside.  Shinji moved a strand of hair away from Asuka's eyes, and gave her a small kiss on her forehead.  As he did this, he noticed something on Asuka's cheek - - it looked as if she had been crying, for there were tiny dried-up trails where the tears had fallen.

"I'm sorry, Asuka," he whispered to her.  "I didn't mean to make you cry..."  The wind from Shinji's breath made Asuka's face scrunch up cutely, causing Shinji to move away involuntarily for fear of waking her up.  Caressing Asuka's cheek one last time with his index finger, Shinji got up, tiptoed away from the room to avoid waking her up, turned off the light, and closed the door.

~~~~~~

The sound of the door slowly closing shut was Asuka's cue.  Slyly, Asuka opened her eyes little by little, until she could see somewhat clearly.  After making sure the coast was clear, she sat up on the bed, and placed one hand on her forehead, where Shinji had kissed her earlier.

"Shinji..."

~~~~~~

_"Come on, Shinji!  Don't dawdle, and catch up!" Asuka called out to him across the street._

_"I'm... hurrying as fast... as I can..." Shinji managed to reply between breaths._

_Asuka turned around, and continued her grueling pace down the sidewalk.  "I'll never be able to get home before dark at the pace you're crawling at," she said, ending her sentence with an authoritative "hmph!"_

_Shinji eventually found the energy to catch up to a few steps behind Asuka, and struggled a bit to keep up with her.  From across the street, Shinji could hear a pair of familiar voices erupting in laughter._

_"WAAAHAHAHAHAHA!__  Look at ol' Diarrhea Boy!"  Toji exclaimed, making whipping sounds when he was done laughing._

_"Got yourself a ball and chain, huh Shinji?" taunted Kensuke.  "Are you guys shacking up together or something?"_

_Both Shinji and Asuka turned red at the comment, and Asuka looked like a volcano ready to explode, her fists and teeth clenched very tightly._

_Shinji tried an attempt to calm down the red-headed girl.  "A-Asuka, come on.  Don't pay attention to them," he said as placed his hand on her shoulder, trying to urge her to keep moving.  As the two stooges started walking away, so did Asuka's temper... slightly, at least._

_Shinji tried to change the subject.  "So, tell me where you live," he said nervously.  "See, I live over there..."  He pointed to a grey apartment complex up ahead._

_"Huh, that's where I live."_

_"Huh?" Shinji uttered, her comment having gotten his attention._

_"That's my building," she repeated, pointing to the same apartment complex.  "What do you know, we live in the same place," Asuka said with an unsettling grin on her face._

_"No...," Shinji moaned quietly, as Asuka took Shinji by the hand, and proceeded to run towards the building._

_"What are you waiting for, neighbor?  We're almost home!" she said gleefully._

Why me?!?_ was all Shinji could think all the way to the entrance._

_~~~~~~_

_"So, when do I get to meet your parents?" Asuka asked Shinji while they were in the elevator.  They were both getting off on the same floor._

_"Umm... I don't really live with my parents..."_

_"Wha?"___

_"I guess I'm what you would call an orphan."  Shinji smiled sheepishly.  "As much as I know, both my parents are dead."_

_Asuka sighed.  "Small world."_

_"What do you mean?" Shinji asked._

_"I guess I'm an orphan too," she said with a somber face.  "My mother died when I was young, and my father... well..."_

_There was something in Asuka's face that resembled something in between "fragileness" and "tenderness..." and Shinji saw it.  He couldn't help but notice.  _Wow..._ he thought.  She looks so... so pretty...___

_However, in the middle of Asuka's sentence, she returned back into her "normal" self.  "What am I doing?  Why am I telling some stupid stranger my life's story?!?" she blurted out._

_Shinji was obviously hurt by that comment, and it showed on his face.  He turned his attention to the buttons on the elevator, while Asuka suddenly found her shoes very interesting.  This lasted for the duration of the rest of the elevator trip._

_As the door opened, both of them walked out of the elevator at the same time.  In front of the elevator was the door to Shinji's apartment.  He stopped in front of it._

_"Well... this is where I live..." he said softly._

_"Yeah..." Asuka replied, in a similar tone.  Abruptly, she spoke up in a louder tone of voice.  "Look Shinji, I apolo - -"_

_Shinji interrupted her.  "You don't have to apologize... I understand."_

His face_, Asuka thought. _ I never noticed...

_She quickly pushed these thoughts in the back of her head and tried to change the subject._

_"Well... can I ask you something?"_

_"What is it?"_

_"Who were those two guys making fun of you?" Asuka inquired._

_"Oh," Shinji replied, looking down at the floor.  "They were the ones who played that trick on me I told you about."_

_"I see..." Asuka said wistfully.  "Well, I guess I'll see you around, Shinji," she said with a faint smile._

_"It was nice meeting you," Shinji replied, as he entered his apartment, and closed the door._

_Asuka stood in front of the closed door for a second, and returned to the elevator and pressed the button for the main floor..._

~~~~~~

It was Saturday morning, the start of a new weekend.  After waking up, Asuka sat up on the bed, stretched a little bit, and looked around the room, giving herself a small reminder.

_I'm supposed to be angry...  Angry..._

 Soon, her nose detected a faint, but familiar odor, which was accompanied by small, crackling sounds, and - -

"_OWOWOWOWOWOW_!!!  Damn cooking oil!"

Whatever the odor was, Asuka's mouth was salivating, as she opened the door and headed to the kitchen, to see Shinji holding his forearm under cool running water.

"What the hell did you do to yourself this time, Shinji?" Asuka said with a yawn.  She made her way to the frying pan on the stove.  "Hey!  Sausages!" Asuka exclaimed gleefully.

"Well, those things are painful to cook!"  Shinji blurted out weakly in his own defense.  He switched off the faucet, and turned around to face Asuka.  "Well, I wanted to apologize for standing you up last night...  I picked these up while you were still sleeping this morning.  This isn't exactly a cheeseburger, but at least it's not 'the usual stuff.'  I'm really sorry, Asuka..."

Asuka stood there blankly, somewhat speechless, and somewhat blushing.  However, she quickly returned her attention to the frying pan.

"Here Shinji, let me take care of this."  Using a spatula, Asuka quickly transferred the sausages onto a plate lined with paper towels, and took the plate to the small dining table, where another plate of fried eggs and toast was sitting.

Both teenagers ate their meal in silence for a fair amount of time.  Shinji looked up from his plate to look at Asuka, who was quite content with her meal.

"So, what do you want to do this weekend?" Shinji said, breaking the ice.

"Huh?" Asuka blinked, and looked up from her meal.  "Whatever, I guess.  What did you have in mind?"

Shinji took a small sip of water.  "I've been thinking, this whole week has just been so stressful, and that we both need to just get out somewhere.  And it's such a nice day outside too," he said, looking out of the window, the bright sunshine streaming into the room.

Asuka smiled faintly, as she put her fork down on her empty plate.  "Sure.  Why not?"

~~~~~~

The rush hour crowd was strangely nonexistent that morning, so Shinji and Asuka were able to avoid having to stand up in the train car again.  They did not say a word to each other, until - -

"Shinji?" Asuka asked.  "Where were you last night?"

Shinji was a bit stunned at the tone of her voice.  It wasn't angry, or suspicious; it was just a normal, inquiring tone of voice.

"You- - You're not mad?" he replied.

"Well, let's just say that I'll let you go just this once," Asuka said decisively.

Shinji blinked a few times, and squirmed in his seat uneasily.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you the truth," he muttered, as the train neared their stop.

"Wouldn't believe you?  Try me."  Asuka moved her body closer to Shinji's.

Shinji began to nervously twiddle his thumbs.  "Well there was this one girl- -"

"Girl?  What girl?"  Asuka hissed, her left eyebrow twitching unsteadily.

"No!  It's not what you- - _Waaaugh_!"

The train car shook violently, almost falling off its tracks and down onto the street below before coming to a stop.

At the end of it all, Shinji was on the floor, nursing a bump on his head, and Asuka scraped her knee.

"Shinji!  Are you okay?"  Asuka exclaimed, as she held a hand out to Shinji, which Shinji took.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Shinji said as he pulled himself up.  "Your knee, it's bleeding!"

"It's nothing," Asuka replied, flinching from the pain.

The train car shook again briefly, eliciting a yelp of fright from Asuka, as she held on tightly to Shinji's shirt.  After the abrupt aftershock, silence pervaded the car and its two sole passengers.

"Was... was that an earthquake?" Asuka asked.

"I... I hope so..."

The sound of metal being torn apart violently pierced through the brief quiet.  The roof of the train car looked like the top of a sardine can when opened and small pieces of shrapnel fell to the floor.  Asuka shrieked as the roof flew from its original place and on to the streets below.  The newly-made opening revealed a man, dressed in black, wearing a pair of dark sunglasses and a gun holster.  The man pulled his gun out, and pointed the silver barrel straight at Shinji's head.

"Mr. Ikari," the man said with an evil smirk on his face.  "You did not heed my warning.  Prepare to meet dire consequences."

~~~~~~

About two blocks away, on a building rooftop, a man watched the same incident through the scope of his rifle.  With one hand, he tied his long hair back with a rubber band, while he had a cell phone in his other hand.

"You were right, sir," he said through the cell phone.  "It would be best to watch this kid, 'cuz he's in a lot of trouble now."

"An agent?" the voice on the other end of the phone asked.

"Yep.  Only one, but that's a lot to handle for a mere copper-top like him."

"Deal with this agent properly, Kaji."

"Yes sir."

"And Kaji?"

"Yes?"

"Please refrain from using such a derogatory term in the future."

The line closed, and Kaji put away his cell phone.

"He never did like that phrase..." he commented, placing his attention on the Agent lined up in his sights.

"Let's see Mr. 'Man in Black' dodge this puppy..."

~~~~~~

Agents have been known to avoid all sorts of attacks with incredible speed- - even bullets.  This was because they anticipated the attack, and moved accordingly to avoid certain death.  However, one can't dodge what one couldn't see coming...  
By the time the Agent turned around to investigate the sound of a full-metal jacketed spike headed his way, the slug was only millimeters from his face, leaving him with a measly few microseconds to try and evade it.  He jerked his head to the left, but he wasn't fast enough, as the bullet pierced through his right eye, breaking the lens of his shades, his cornea, and several of his facial bones.  The bullet exploded, taking the Agent's head along with it.  As the decapitated body flopped down from the roof, the bloody mess that used to be his head splattered noisily on the concrete below the tracks.

~~~~~~

Kaji pumped his fist in victory.  "Perfect shot, every time!"  He picked himself up from his prone position, and pulled his cell phone out.

"I got the Agent.  Ayanami, he's all yours."

~~~~~~

Shinji was staring at where the Agent's head used to be so absorbedly, that he almost failed to notice a trembling Asuka desperately clinging on to him in fear.

Shinji tore his eyes away from the corpse, and looked at Asuka's face, which was now streaked with hot tears.

"Asuka," Shinji said as soothingly as his voice could muster.  "Asuka, it's okay..."

"Ohgodohgodohgod, he toreofftheroof and his head justexploded ohmygodohmygod- -"  Asuka continued in this manner, until Shinji began to shake her lightly.

"Asuka, snap out of it!  It's okay, it's over..."  Shinji gave her a small kiss on the forehead, as he returned the hug that Asuka gave him.

A familiar, soft-spoken voice called out behind Shinji's back.

"Ikari."

Shinji turned around to see who was addressing him.

"It's you again!" he gasped.

Indeed, it was the same girl Shinji saw the night before, but this time, she was wearing a white, skintight PVC bodysuit, and carried a sub-machine gun in one hand.

"Our plans have changed, Shinji Ikari," Rei said in a calm manner.  "You need to come with us now."

~~~~~~

"There is an automobile waiting for us half a block from here," Rei explained, as the trio walked quickly down the street.  "We must get there quickly, before any opposition- -"

The three of them ducked for cover and hid behind a nearby corner, as they were interrupted by a barrage of bullets coming from behind them.  While Rei steeled herself for the upcoming gunfight, her companions were not as rigid as her.

"What does this have to do with us?!?  I don't want to die!!!" cried Asuka, as the bullets continued to zoom past their hiding spot.  Shinji and Asuka desperately held on to each other through the deafening noise of gunfire.

"I will need some artillery support; we are under fire," said Rei on her cell phone before putting it away.  She waited for a momentary lapse in the firing, and then tried to take a few pot shots at the police that barricaded the road with several police cars and a SWAT van.

~~~~~~

Kaji got the call, and moved as quickly as he could to the battle.  He cradled his rifle in his arms, and from his original spot, he took a running start across the roof of the building he was on, and pushed himself off the ledge with his feet, soaring high in the air, before landing on the rooftop of an adjacent building.  He continued in this manner, leaping from rooftop to rooftop, until he was directly above the policemen on the street who were firing at Rei, Shinji and Asuka.

"I got your 'artillery support' right here," Kaji said, as he quickly set up the tripod and scope on his gun, and took careful aim...

~~~~~~

The streets were rocked by a large explosion, and Rei peeked around the corner to investigate it.  What she saw was a scene of chaos.  The SWAT van had apparently exploded, and the force of the blast flipped it over, landing on top of a squad car, along with quite a few squad members.

Rei decided to take advantage of this confusion, and ran out of her hiding spot, and towards the disheveled police officers.

"Rei!!" exclaimed Shinji.  "Rei, what are you doing!?!"

The remaining opposition tried to aim at the nimble Ayanami, but it was no good; she was too fast.  Anticipating the bullets that would be coming at her, Rei jumped up, and ran up the wall of the building to her left.  At the peak of her wall climbing, she kicked off, twisted in the air, and let loose a spray of lead from her sub-machine gun, immediately felling a large number of police.  Landing on her feet, she dropped her gun, pulled a pistol from her hip holster, and ran towards the remaining police officers.

~~~~~~

While Asuka continued to hide behind the corner, Shinji peeked around it, watching in fear and wonder as he saw Rei pulling such death-defying maneuvers.

_Rei..._

~~~~~~

One of the officers brandished his billy club, waving it frantically at Rei's face, but to no avail.  Rei quickly grabbed his club arm, twisting it so that he let go of his weapon.  Still holding on to his arm, Rei performed a quick flip, further twisting the man's arm until an audible snap was heard from his shoulder joint.  The SWAT member screamed agonizingly, as Rei roundhouse-kicked him to the ground, and shot the man in the back of the head, rendering him inert.

The three remaining SWAT members in sight now brandished electric stun batons, and were charging the young Ayanami in a small triangle formation, with two guards in front, and one in the back.  Rei took a small running start and jumped up, kicking both of the front guards simultaneously in the face.  As she kicked off of the two guards' faces, she did a double flip and twist over the third guard, and ended up sitting right on his shoulders.  Rei clenched her thighs tightly on the guard's neck, and tersely jerked them to the right, breaking the guard's neck cleanly.  As soon as she got up, she walked over to the prone forms of the other two SWAT members, and shot them both dead with her pistol.

~~~~~~

Asuka's frayed nerves had calmed down somewhat while Shinji and her were riding in the black car they escorted into by the red-eyed girl.  When they were a couple of blocks away from the scene of destruction, the driver, an attractive, purple-haired woman, turned around to address Shinji.

"So, you're the one who's been the cause of all this," she said with a stunning smile.  "Now, let's hope that you were worth going through all this trouble."  The woman waved with her free hand at him.  "My name is Misato.  You've already met Rei," she said, gesturing towards the blue-haired girl sitting next to him.

"Wait a second!" Asuka exclaimed.  "You guys haven't explained what the hell is going on here!  What does all this have to do with Shinji- -"

Asuka gasped as the sight of the end of a gun barrel curtly interrupted her.

"Our orders did not consist of taking you in, as you present a risk to the successful completion of this mission...," Rei hissed, her eyes dangerously narrowed.

"That's enough, Rei," Misato ordered.  "You need to calm down."  She then looked towards Shinji and Asuka through the rear view mirror.

"I'm really sorry, but Rei is acting on standard procedure.  Any person who isn't one of us... is one of 'them.'"  

"Yes, Major Katsuragi."  Rei put her gun down and continued to eye a confused Asuka warily, while Misato resumed talking.  

"As for an explanation, I'm afraid that will have to wait until we reach our destination."

"W-where are you taking me?" Shinji asked.

The woman gave Shinji another bright smile.  "Just watch and see, Shinji."

~~~~~~

"Sir, are you sure it's all right to trick him like this?"

"There is no other way, Doctor Akagi.  We must save this boy from this false reality, or the Agents will get him."

"But aren't people usually given a choice to leave or stay?"

"I will hear no more opposition to my plans.  As part of the crew, you may either follow my orders, or leave.  I am sure that this child is The One."

"_Hmph.  The One... What a joke.  I know your ulterior motives, Gendo.  I know the true identity of this boy - -"_

"You know nothing.  And I will see your life end to keep it that way with the rest of the crew, if need be.  Now prepare; they are here."

"...Yes sir."

~~~~~~

The black car stopped at the back entrance of an old, brick townhouse.  Rei stepped out of the passenger door first, followed by Shinji, who stared down the edifice with a mixture of awe and foreboding.  Asuka stepped out of the car next, returning the glares of suspicion she was getting from Rei.  The purple-haired woman turned off the engine and got out of the car.  She wore a pair of red leather pants that hugged her curves tightly, with matching boots and a jacket, and a ribbed black tank top, cut so her belly button was showing.  Shinji felt a bit of pressure on his nose, as the woman walked ahead of them and opened the door.

Inside the townhouse, it was dimly lit and musty; looking very much like it has been abandoned for quite some time.  The group climbed up a majestic set of stairs up to the third floor.  Misato led Shinji and the others down a dark hallway, finally stopping in front of a large wooden door.

"This is it, Shinji.  Do you want your questions to be answered?" Misato asked him.

Shinji simply nodded, as Misato turned the knob and opened the door.  The room inside was sparsely furnished.  There were two lounge chairs, with a small coffee table in between them, in front of a roaring fire in the fireplace.  A man sat on one of the chairs; he was of medium build, with dark brown hair neatly combed forward and a thin, trimmed beard.  He wore a dark, stylish suit, with matching white gloves, and a pair of dark eyeglasses.  His hands, folded in front of his face, prevented Shinji from seeing all but his eyes.

"I have been keeping my eye on you for quite some time, Shinji Ikari.  It is an honor to finally meet you."

Shinji took a reluctant step towards the stranger.  "Who... who are you?"

"My name is Gendo."  He motioned for Shinji to sit down across from him.  "Please, rest.  You've had a long ordeal."  Gendo pointed towards a glass of red-colored liquid sitting on the coffee table, as Shinji sat down on the plush chair.  "You must be thirsty.  I think you will find that this will quench your thirst," he said with an unsettling smile.

Kaji suddenly walked into the room, interrupting Gendo.  "Sir, I must protest - -"

"We have already discussed this, Ryoji."  Gendo said forcefully.  "For the good of our people, this must be done."

He turned to face Shinji now.  "I'm terribly sorry about that, Shinji," Gendo said, his voice sounding saccharine.  "Now please, drink."

As untrusting as this character was in front of him, Shinji felt that he wouldn't be dragged all this way just to be killed.

_I don't think I'm gonna die from these people, just after they saved me..._

And so, Shinji put the glass to his lips, and drank half of the contents of the glass.  Indeed, he did find his drink to be refreshing, and proceeded to drink the rest of it, as Gendo watched him, smiling slyly.

Gendo now placed his attention on Asuka, who was only a few steps away from where Shinji was.

"Forgive me for being so rude.  I must offer our other guest a drink as well.  Kaji, please give this girl a beverage."

Kaji had a look of contempt in his eye as he was given this order, but he held a look of defeat as well.  

"Yes, Commander."  He walked out of the room for a brief moment, and came back with a glass of blue-colored liquid, offering it to the teenaged girl.

"What is this?" Asuka asked, as she took the glass gingerly.

"Kool-Aid," the commander replied.  "Please do not mistrust us; you are not here to be harmed."

Asuka eyed the glass of "Kool-Aid" for a while.

_Well, Shinji _did_ drink it, and he's fine... and I am kind of thirsty..._

Asuka finally took a few sips of her drink, drinking just half of the contents of it.

Gendo suddenly stood from his seat.  "Good.  We can begin.  Shinji, follow me."  He walked out of the room, and Shinji halfheartedly followed him, along with the rest of the group.  They were led into another room, filled with many electrical objects and computers.

"Begin the process," Gendo ordered.

Kaji took Shinji by the hand, leading him to a chair.  "Please sit here, Shinji."

Shinji did so, while Rei proceeded to remove the button-down shirt he was wearing.  
"What is this?" Shinji asked nervously.

"Hey!  What do you think you're doing to Shinji?!?" Asuka exclaimed, her fist waving in the air threateningly, as Misato held her back.  "What the hell is this?!?  Let me go!!!"

"Asuka!" Shinji called out, as Rei began to attach electrodes all over his chest and arms.  Asuka continued to scream profanities for a few seconds, before her voice began get weak and distant.

"What... is this... Shinji... help me..."  Asuka's voice drifted away, and she fell unconscious.

"Asuka!!"  Shinji began to struggle, but Kaji held him back in his chair.  "What the hell did you do to her?!?" Shinji screamed angrily.

"Commander," Kaji commented, "the girl did not drink the entire blue pill, and it's too late to give her the rest."

"It is sufficient enough to make her forget about this.  Continue as planned."

Shinji would have continued screaming at his captors, but his body began to feel strange, as if he fell into a swimming pool of soda.  His body began to flicker strangely, and began to look around at his surroundings, until everything faded to black, and all he could hear were voices.

"How is he?"

"He's going into shock.  He has severe hypotension!"

"Did you get a lock on his signal?"

"Almost there..."

"Sir, cardiac arrest!  He has no pulse!"

"De-fib him, Major."

The electrical jolt given to Shinji shocked him back to consciousness, screaming at the mixed sensations of pain and disorientation, as the room swirled around in his vision.

"I got him!  Signal's clear."

"Do it now, Dr. Akagi."

The last thing Shinji remembered was the room morphing into a plethora of green computer code, before his senses were engulfed by pure white noise.

~~~~~~

**End of Chapter 01**

~~~~~~

Asuka woke up in her room with a start.

"It's... just... a dream..." she said between gasps of breath.

She got up, and looked at her electronic clock/calendar.  It was Monday, 9:00 in the morning.

_Monday already?__  But wasn't it just Saturday yester- -_

"_Scheisse_, I'm late for school!" she exclaimed as she scrambled to get dressed and ready.  "And that _idiot Shinji didn't bother to wake me up!"  She stormed out of her apartment, trying to make it in time before the next train leaves._

~~~~~~

Legalese:  Story © 11-41 Studios.  The Matrix is the property of the Wachowski Brothers and Warner Brothers Studios.  Evangelion is the property of Gainax, ADV, and Manga Entertainment.


	3. 02 Orientation

Welcome to False Prophecy, Chapter 2.  This was a long time in coming, but it's finally here.  If you are not a first-time reader of this fiction, I encourage you to look at the beginning part of the prologue; I changed something very important there.  Otherwise, enjoy.

~~~~~~

_Shinji woke up to a familiar voice the next morning..._

_"Shinji!!!!"__ Asuka delicately screamed in his ear._

_"WAAAH!!"__  The sight of the red-headed girl scared the daylights out of Shinji as he fell off his bed in surprise.  "A-A-A-Asuka, w-what are you - -!"  Other words came after that, but they were mostly incomprehensible._

_Asuka__ crossed her arms.  "Hmph!  Well, that's no way to treat your neighbor."_

_Shinji clumsily tried to get up from the floor.  "H-h-how did you get in here?"_

_Asuka__ smiled, but it wasn't the type of smile that made Shinji comfortable at all.  "It was easy, after I told the manager of the building that I was going to look after you, and I guess she felt sorry for you, so she gave me a key to your place."_

_Shinji's face turned white.  "But... I - -  WAAUGH!"_

_Asuka__ abruptly hoisted Shinji up by his arms, and dragged him into the bathroom._

_"Come on now, school starts in an hour," Asuka said.  "You should be thankful I'm doing this for you, you lazy bum.  Come on, no complaining."  She closed the bathroom door, and proceeded to wait in Shinji's living room._

_Shinji grumbled angrily in the shower.  "Stupid Asuka... what the hell is she trying to do?"  _

But then again, there must be something in her that's nice... Like in the elevator... There was something about her that was so... - -__

_Shinji's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of banging on the bathroom door.  "Hey Shinji!  Quit jacking off in there and hurry up!"_

_"Shut the hell up! I'm hurrying!"_

~~~~~~

"How is he, Major Katsuragi?"

"The way he's been ever since we picked him up from the waste pool a month ago.  Unconscious and unresponsive."

"I see."

"I've never seen someone recovering for such a long time after being freed.  Did we make the right decision?"

"..."

"...However Commander, his REM's are quite active; it's like he is dreaming."

"Of course he was dreaming... he has been dreaming since the day he was born.  Carry on with the rehabilitation.  His muscles are atrophied."

"Yes, Commander."

~~~~~~

_11-41 Studios _

_Kenshiro__ Mitsui -san_

**False Prophecy**

**_Chapter 02: Orientation_**

~~~~~~

Shinji awoke with a start, gasping heavily for air as he sat up in his cot.  Looking around frantically, he saw nothing but the grey of metal making up the floor, the ceiling, and the walls.

His forearm started to itch, so he took his fingers to scratch the affected area... but instead felt cold, harsh metal.  Shinji looked down on his arm, and saw a circular piece of steel bulging from his now pale skin., connected to a needle and IV unit.  Nightmares rushed violently in his head; images of millions of pink-tinged pods with human forms resting silently in them, and that floating robot resembling some kind of octopus, with its many tentacles flailing about...

Panicking, Shinji tried to run his fingers through his short dark hair, only to feel bare skin.  He was completely bald.  Panicking, he stood up to search for an exit, when a certain blue-haired girl entered his room after a quick knock on the door.

"You're awake," Rei said simply.

"You again!" Shinji exclaimed, breathing heavily.  "Where the hell did you take me?"

Rei set down the tray of food she carried in one hand on a metal bedstand, and taking Shinji by the arm, she led him back to his bed, and urged him to sit.

"I have been ordered to keep you calm, Shinji Ikari.  You must rest.  You have had a long ordeal - -"

"But where the hell am I?  What did you do to me?" Shinji broke free from Rei's grip and stood up again.  "Where's Asuka?"

A small, but audible grumbling sound was heard in the room, as Shinji rubbed his stomach in an attempt to ease the sudden hunger pangs.

Rei took the tray of food next to her, and placed it on the bed, near Shinji.

"Eat this," Rei ordered, as she walked towards the door.  "We will start your orientation tomorrow.  You will need your strength."  Rei then procured a hypodermic syringe, and injected the contents into Shinji's IV unit ("This will help calm your heart and respiration rates," Rei explained).

"...orientation for what?" Shinji inquired.

"...Your new world."  With those last words, Rei closed the door, leaving Shinji alone again.

Shinji looked at the tray on his bed.  It consisted of a bowl of... _something, along with a glass of water.  Picking up the bowl, Shinji took the utensil next to it, and poked at the contents suspiciously before feeding himself a spoonful._

_Ugh... it tastes like old, soggy corn flakes_... Shinji thought to himself.  But he was in no position to complain about the food.  He knew he was starving, and he had to take what he was offered.  Shinji drowned the taste in his mouth with a glass of water.  He felt the medicine working as his breathing relaxed significantly, and he continued to eat his meal, contemplating his new environment.

~~~~~~

"How curious... you never went out of your way to help someone unless you were ordered, yet you brought him food in bed through your own volition..."

Rei stopped in her tracks as she noticed Doctor Ritsuko Akagi waiting outside Shinji's room.

Rei turned slowly to face the doctor.

"I was told by the commander to make sure no harm befalls him," she said stoically, "and to help facilitate his training.  I am merely acting within those orders."

"Hmph.  Of course," Ritsuko replied with a dangerous sneer on her lips.  "It _was_ what you were designed for.  The commander's little doll..."

"Do you honestly, fully believe what the Commander is saying about that boy?"  Ritsuko began to pace around Rei.  "Yes, I do know we went through a lot of trouble to free that boy's mind, but the question is, do you really think that it is worth all that?  Don't tell me you're a believer..."

"I believe what I choose to believe."

"Huh.  Sure you do."  Ritsuko stopped pacing, her face a few inches away from Rei's.  "There is something else, isn't there?  Why you seem to be treating Shinji better than any of us, save the Commander...  I saw it in your eyes.  The way you looked at that other girl - - the one who accompanied him.  You must be glad that she's out of your hair..."

Ritsuko smiled, as she eased away from Rei.  "Well, I must be going... I've had a long, strenuous day.  Good night..."

And with that, Ritsuko skulked away.  Despite her outward appearance, Rei felt something quaking inside her angrily, as she followed another hallway, heading towards her own quarters.

~~~~~~

**Day 1**

If Rei was ever worried about something, it would never show on her face, save for perhaps a small frown or narrowing of her eyes.  Normally.

However, she managed to exhibit a small emotional outburst as Shinji started going into shock.  His mind could barely handle the truth that Rei had just given him, and Shinji had responded with panic and disbelief, shaking and clutching his head, and what appeared to be a seizure.

"Ikari!  Please stay calm!"  Rei cried out with an uncharacteristically emotional voice as Shinji fell onto the cold metal floor of the _Lilith_'s control room, her eyes wide with anxiety.

Gendo stepped in to take control of the situation.  "Doctor, give him a tranquilizer.  It is imperative that he maintains his sanity at this point.  There's no plugging back in for him now..."

Doctor Ritsuko Akagi kneeled at Shinji's side, and administered a mild opiate on the side of his arm.  Within a few seconds, Shinji's shaking slowed to a stop, and he fell into unconsciousness.

"Jesus, Rei, what the hell did you tell him in there?" Ritsuko exclaimed.

"I... I simply told him the truth."  Rei took a deep breath to settle down, and continued, in her usual tone of voice, but with a slight, almost unnoticeable quavering.  "It was up to him whether he wanted to accept it or not."

While Ritsuko stood up and helped Kaji take Shinji's prone form away to his quarters, Misato commented to Commander Gendo:

"Sir, in all my experiences aboard this ship and others, I have never seen a reaction as bad as his.  I mean, what this might be doing to his mind- -"

"I'm afraid it's all necessary, Major," he interrupted.  "He _is the One.  I am sure of it."_

"For his sake, I hope he is.  All this trouble, and it may be all in vain.  You do realize that the cloaking program you placed in that building might have a small chance of being traced back to this hovercraft.  That's a direct violation of Zion's rules and procedures."

"That is not a factor right now, Major Katsuragi.  They will not trace us back here, I swear.  Shinji will save us..."

~~~~~~

Kaji locked the door to Shinji's room.

"Simple, standard procedures, Doctor," he shrugged.  "Can't risk having him going berserk on us while we're on this ship, can we?"

Ritsuko nodded.  "I suppose you're right."  She changed the subject.  "Kaji, I have something to ask you."

"Anything for you, doll," he replied with a flashy smile.

_Always the flirtatious one..._  "Did you notice anything... strange about Rei today?"

Kaji raised an eyebrow.  "It wasn't just me, huh?  Yeah, Rei seemed a little bit more... lively - - I suppose that's the word to use - - during that incident with Shinji.  Very unlike her.  You're the doctor, Ritsuko.  Any idea what it means?"

The doctor shook her head.  "None whatsoever, Kaji... other than the fact that our Rei is, indeed, only human."

"That's good to know, I guess," Kaji responded with a chuckle in his voice.  "I'll be keeping guard from the control room tonight."  He walked away.  "You have a good night now."

Ritsuko smiled slyly in the dim light outside of Shinji's room.  

"Only human..."

~~~~~~

"Yes, Commander.  I understand."  Rei nodded apologetically at Commander Gendo.  "It won't happen again."

Gendo returned the nod.  "Good.  I need you to keep these unruly emotions in check.  We have a job to do.  Go to bed now."

"Yes sir."  With those last two words, Rei walked promptly to her quarters.

Ritsuko decided to join Gendo as soon as Rei was out of sight.

She talked in a teasing voice, as she sensually embraced Gendo from behind, playfully touching the metal object protruding from the back of his neck.  "Well, well... your puppet does have feelings, Commander _Ikari - -"_

Turning around deftly, Gendo grabbed both of Ritsuko's arms firmly and violently slammed her against the steel bulkhead of the ship.

"I told you _never_ to call me by that name, on this ship!" he said through angrily clenched teeth.

Ritsuko only smiled back.  "You should have never told me then."  She pursed her lips.  "Men say the strangest things in bed..."

Gendo shook her once more, making her blonde hair disheveled.  His voice was low, and dangerous.  "Another outburst of insolence such as this, and I _will_ leave you behind for the Sentinels.  Is that understood?!?"

Ritsuko stared into the man's eyes for a moment, before throwing herself into a passionate kiss with him, catching Gendo off guard.  After several seconds, she pulled away, and answered, "Yes, Commander Gendo..."

She released herself from his grip, and skulked off to her quarters.

~~~~~

**Day 2**

The mess hall was empty and lonely; the bluish tint given off by the florescent lights from above accentuated the remoteness.  Inside, Kaji Ryoji, and his superior, Misato Katsuragi were talking over a bowl of the usual goop they were served everyday.  This so-called goop provided the crew with essential vitamins, minerals, and amino acids; almost everything the human body needed.  Almost.

"How is he, Misato?"

"Not so good, I'm afraid.  He tried to escape when I opened his door to give him his food."  Misato laughed softly, as she traced a finger around a small red bump on her forehead.

"Tried to hit me with something.  I had to trip him up and put him down with one of the tranqs Doctor Akagi gave me.  That was completely unlike him.  He was never like that while we were observing him in the Matrix... it's like he's so desperate to get back to his own world.  Honestly, I'm surprised he hasn't died yet from all the... emotional... stress..."

While Misato was talking, Kaji took his own hand, and lightly placed it on the bump on Misato's forehead.  Slowly, his hand moved to her cheek, causing Misato to shiver involuntarily.  She moved away from him.

The smile on Kaji's face turned into a small frown.  "Why, Misato?"

Misato sat up.  "Please, Kaji, we tried it once already.  It just doesn't work between us.  And now we're assigned on the same ship...  If we were involved, it would just make things complicated, especially with the task we're trying to do now."

"...Yeah, I understand," Kaji sighed.  "The kid needs us."

Misato rose from her seat, and walked over to the sink to place her bowl in there.  "I'm sorry, Kaji..."  She hastily exited the mess hall.

Kaji played with his food for a few moments before discarding the rest of it in the sink.  "I really hope you're worth the trouble, kid."

~~~~~

**Day 6**

"There's no way back, is there?"  Those were the first words Shinji ever said to anyone ever since the incident.  "I can't go back, can I, Rei?"

Rei set Shinji's tray of food down on a table in his room, and started for the door.  "If you could, Ikari, would you choose to do so?"

Shinji looked down at the sandals provided for him, and contemplated this question.  Before Rei could close the door, - -

"What is it you want me to do?" he asked.

Rei simply replied, "To help us."

"Help?  But I can't do anything!  How am I supposed to do that?"

"If you are ready, I will show you tomorrow."

The door closed, and Shinji sighed, his shoulders drooped down as a sign of acquiescence.

~~~~~

**Day 7**

"Hey, kid, it's good to see you out."  Kaji gave Shinji a wide grin as he prepared the chair that he would be sitting in.  "Take a seat."

Shinji complied, and allowed the loose metal restraints to be placed on his feet.  Afterwards, Kaji stepped behind the chair.

"He's all yours, Rei."  Shinji looked to his right to see the young Ayanami sitting in front of a multitude of computer monitors and keyboards.

"Plug him in, Lieutenant Ryoji."

Shinji felt a similar feeling a week ago.  First came the quick stab of pain, then the sensation of ice water rushing through his head, then a pleasantly warm feeling.

"How do you feel, kid?"

"Umm... ok, I guess."

"Good, 'cause you'll be here for a while.  This is your training session."  Kaji motioned towards a nearby monitor.  An image of a 3D model in a martial arts stance holding a pair of pistols, and the words "WEAPONS TRAINING - - GUN-KATA" appeared.

"W-what is this?" Shinji asked.

"Gun-Kata is a martial arts designed to improve your marksmanship with a number of guns while being able to predict the trajectories of incoming bullets geometrically in order to prevent any injury to yourself, while inflicting maximum damage to your opponents."

"Huh?"

Kaji smiled again.  "It means we're going to teach you to kick some ass."

"You're going to teach me all that today?"  Shinji said incredulously.

"Punch it, Rei."

"Yes, sir."  Rei pressed the enter key on a keyboard, and the words "UPLOADING" appeared on the monitor.

Shinji felt the rush of neurons quickly invading his brain, causing him to gasp involuntarily.  Suddenly, every stance, move, and instruction dealing with the uploading martial art flashed in front of him, and was imprinted into his memory.  The sensation stopped as abruptly as it began, and Shinji was able to breathe again.

Shinji took big gulps of air while trying to say something.

"What- - was- - that- -?"

Kaji looked down at Shinji's wide, amazed eyes, and couldn't help but chuckle at the sight.

"How does that feel?" he asked.

"Pretty... pretty good..."

"Shall we continue?"  Rei asked from the computer terminal.

"...Yeah." was all that Shinji could say, as he tried to make himself relax for the next several uploads.

~~~~~

Before they stopped for food, Shinji had "learned" more than 150 forms of armed and unarmed combat.  By the end of the day, the number doubled, and Shinji was dead-tired as he headed straight for his quarters.

"He reacted well to the combat training?"

"Yes, Commander."

Gendo's hands, perched above his desk and clasped together, hid a half-smile.  "Excellent.  Put his newfound skills to the test tomorrow."

"Yes, sir."  Rei turned around curtly, and began to walk towards the door.

"And Rei?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Good night."

"You too, sir."

~~~~~

**Day 8**

Shinji thought it must be a strange site to see a boy dressed in a school uniform holding a gun in each hand.  It couldn't be helped; it was his own residual self-image - - how he sees himself in his own mind.

_Oh well_, he thought to himself, as he twisted his body in the appropriate stance, crossed his arms, pointed his guns at opposite ends, and disposed of two computer-generated enemies quickly.  They disappeared in a flurry of green computer code once the virtual bullets struck them, while the bullets that they shot at Shinji passed by him harmlessly, thanks to the quick calculations of possible bullet trajectories he made in his head before the fight.  He may not be able to dodge bullets like an Agent, but predicting where they might go was the next best thing, though a miscalculation can prove to be lethal, as Shinji found out several times in the training simulation.  Thankfully, it was only a simulation.  Shinji let out a sigh.  He had no problems shooting at a computer, but what if he had to use _real_ guns on _real_ people?  Of course, the word _real was subject to relativity, as he had learned over the past week._

Shinji reloaded both his pistols at the same time with the grace and skill of a professional, and holstered them at his sides.  As soon as he put his weapons away, the environment around him sped away at high speeds, and another one zoomed in to replace it.  He looked at himself now, and saw that his pistols were gone, as well as his school uniform.

"Why am I wearing these pajamas?"  He asked himself, as he picked at the loose-fitting traditional Chinese clothes he was wearing.  It was colored blue, with white trim.

Looking at his new environment, he could only describe it in his head as "Kung-Fu Movie."  He was now in the middle of a deserted marketplace, full of vegetable stalls and stands, not unlike something he's seen in that martial arts movie he saw on television once.  There was a man that drunk a good amount of alcohol to become a better fighter, and as Shinji reminisced about it, he quickly recalled that he was "taught" that fighting style just yesterday.  Smiling at himself, and with all the enthusiasm of a child with a brand-new toy, he practiced a few of those moves he saw long ago himself.

Shinji abruptly stopped his exercises when he caught a quick glimpse of- -

"Rei!  What are you doing here?" Shinji said with a surprised tone.  He took a better look at her, and saw that she was wearing similar garb, but in a dirty white color.

"Who changed the scenery?  Is this another program?"

"Yes.  This is training program designed for unarmed combat.  Like in the other programs you've trained in, basic rules such as gravity apply in this simulation.  What you will learn is that these rules can be bent, or even broken."

Shinji took her words lightly.  "So you're going to teach me how to fly or something?"

Rei responded in a not-so-light manner.  "It's never been done, but that is up to you."  With a series of arm movements, she placed her body in a _Tai Chi Quan_ stance, her favorite martial art.

"Are you ready, Ikari?"

Shinji got himself in a ready position, his light footwork kicking up a small cloud of dust on the empty dirt road, and tried to surprise Rei with a flying kick.

It did not work, as Rei easily evaded the blow.  As soon as Shinji landed on his feet, he followed his initial attack with a flurry of side kicks, all of which were either dodged or blocked by Rei's fluidity and grace.  Shinji's attacks were quick and furious, but Rei was smoother; with an elegant hand motion, she grabbed Shinji's attacking foot, and threw him into a vegetable stall, shattering it into a hundred pieces of wood.

Shinji was surprised at how easily defeated he was as he picked himself up from the rubble.  He massaged his back, and got ready to fight again, this time using a different stance.  Rei continued to use her _Tai Chi._

Shinji flipped in the air and tried to punch Rei, but missed.  He followed with a combination of punches and tried to finish with a grab, but Rei countered and punched him in the chest once.  Shinji tried to attack once again using a different stance, and Rei continued to counter his moves.  This continued for seven more minutes, until Shinji wore himself out and got tired.

"No matter what I use..." Shinji managed between breaths, "...I can't hit you.  You're too fast..."

"Physical prowess has no meaning in this place, Ikari," Rei replied.  "Remember: this is only a program.  You are faster than you think you are right now."

Shinji understood what Rei was saying, but he still stood there silently, his brows raised in disbelief.

"The actual strength of your muscles is irrelevant here, Ikari. If you can get past that, you might actually be able to hit me this time."  Rei placed herself in a low stance, ready to fight again.

_It's only a program._

Shinji's head droned on like this, as he tried to attack Ayanami again.  Thoughts and ideas trickled into his closed mind slowly, but surely; Shinji seemed to match Rei move per move after a few minutes.  He caught Rei off balance; she was surprised at the short amount of time Shinji realized it.  Rei doubled her efforts, reacting with a more aggressive style of combat.  It availed her naught.  With machine-like efficiency, Shinji pushed away an attacking arm, and countered with an exceptionally quick combo of punches, stopping short of physical contact.

"That was very good," Rei merely said.

~~~~~

**Day 13**

If Kaji Ryoji had any doubts about Shinji's capabilities, they were almost completely wiped out that day.

"Jesus, nobody ever makes the first jump..."

"...but he made it."  Misato finished his sentence.

The ones watching outside were not the only ones who were surprised.

Rei's face - - one that does not normally exhibit emotion - - carried one of shock as she watched her "student" jump from one skyscraper rooftop to an adjacent rooftop, stumbling slightly as he landed.

"What the h- -!"  Shinji stood up straight, and slowly walked to the edge of the building to look down on the streets below, and then to the tower he jumped from.

"T-that was me?"

Back in the real world, a pair of eyes behind orange-tinted lenses lit up, and his lips curled into a twisted smile.

~~~~~

**Three Weeks Later**

"He is learning at an amazing rate for someone at such a young age.  Could he be believing already, and so soon?"

"It would seem so."

"But he has not been told of what is expected of him!  The way he is acting, it's almost like some sort of game- -"

"Nevertheless, we shall remain optimistic.  The prophecy continues as scheduled, and soon we will be free."

"I still can't help but feel troubled... Like a premonition.  This is all happening so fast.  You can't take him to the Oracle yet."

"..."

"Hmph.  Then again, when have you ever listened to me?  Why do you have to put your 'son' through all of this?  Well, if he is indeed your son."

"I warned you before..."

"That can't be proven; it happened in the Matrix!"

"One more word, and I will throw you in the brig for insubordination.  I will hear no more."

Ritsuko smiled, and slipped out of the bed.  "Fine.  If you need me, I'll be in the shower."

~~~~~

**End of Chapter 02**

~~~~~

"...It's raining hard, isn't it, Asuka?"

"Yeah."

"Asuka... come on, let's go.  I'm done with the attendance."

"Yeah."

"It's been three weeks.  You're still worried about him, aren't you?"

"What?!  Of course not!  Why would I be worried if that idiot is lost or something?  He couldn't find his way out of a cul-de-sac!"

"..."

"..."

"Come on, I'll walk you home."

"...Thank you, Hikari."

~~~~~

Notes:  Thank you for reading this story, despite the glut of Eva/Matrix fiction out there already.  And for past readers, I am sorry for taking so long to put out a chapter, and I am afraid this might happen again.  Please be patient with me.

Gun-Kata is not exactly a real martial art, but rather, a concept.  If you watch the movie _Equilibrium_, you'll understand.

Next Chapter - - Shinji is taken back to the Matrix, and some things that he should have left behind come back to haunt him.  The One could not come at a better time, as Zion is about to be attacked, but is Shinji really the savior the humans are looking for?  And if he is indeed The One, will Shinji accept his fate?

~~~~~

Legalese:  Story © 11-41 Studios.  The Matrix is the property of the Wachowski Brothers and Warner Brothers Studios.  Evangelion is the property of Gainax, ADV, and Manga Entertainment.


End file.
